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Each designer received cotton printed with sweet peas, a cream ribbed wool gauze, a brown tattersall linen, and a crisp white linen woven with a brown thread. The purple for the tote bag followed, with options for buttons and trims. 3 but they each assured us that if we'd given them more time, they would have spent it planning and would still have been sewing right up to the end. ] ] � .. � � ] j; � ] � � '" o o E "a.0; '0 ci. c a.'" .. �1f: �8 .il g � -a� � a. a. o o c ci. I c � • a. o=: o � The audience Is able to take a close look and ask questions of the designers when the You can see the Challenge garments firsthand through October 2003, or join Susan Allen (left) and other '" next Design Challenge in November. Call 800·699·6309 or visit www.sewingexpo.com for Original Sewing Threads Threads Design Challenge is unveiled in the fall. editors as we unveil the & Quilt Expo dates and cities. ju ne/july 2003 79 pintucks, slot seams. And each woman worked on the other projects already scheduled in her life. They spent more time thinking about their outfits and working out patterns than sewing them. They waited for Threads to send tote bag fabric and buttons. All three made wrong choices, and changed direction as needed. One designer lost weight and was altering her outfit the night before it was shown. And not one was absolutely finished ... and the presentation The Design Challenge is always popular at the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo-seats fill up quickly for each daily presentati.on. Threads is nearly as surprised as the audi.ence by the finished garments. We see them the night before the first show, and last fall, as ever, we were truly touched by the thoughtful work done by each designer. What happens at the show? Susan Allen presents the Challenge, yards each of a pretty Liberty of London explaining that it is an opportunity for the designers to stretch their imaginations and solve problems. The designers come onstage oneby-one to show their outfits. Afterward, they walk through the audience, and then gather onstage again to take questions. To finish the presentation, Susan asks the audience what they learned from the designers' tales. Threads received lots of good answers: "When mistakes happen, don't get frustrated, keep going. Sometimes you can turn a mistake into a brilliant feature." "Experiment. Make a garment look more like you by changing the pattern or make up your own instructions." "Learn how to 'listen' to the fab- ric to help you figure out what works and what doesn't." We trust you'll feel the same way as you take in the detailed stories on the following pages.